As fall approaches, so does spooky season—my favorite time of year! I love cozying up with a good book filled with scares, the paranormal (looking at you, goblins and ghouls) and suspense as the weather gets cooler and the days get darker. Indigenous authors have been incorporating their folklore, history and everyday horrors faced by their communities into riveting stories that will disturb you on multiple levels. Check out some of the great examples of Indigenous writing below!
Man Made Monsters is a collection of short stories unlike what you’re used to, including fantastic illustrations and Cherokee syllabary (or writing system). The book follows one Cherokee family across time and place as they experience a variety of horrors from the supernatural like vampires to very human atrocities like abusive relationships to creatures from Cherokee culture. This book explores generational trauma and the ways that it can affect a family for centuries and offers Native American and female perspectives of horror that often show people as far more terrifying than any zombie or werewolf.
For a horror-mystery blend, check out Harvest House. Hughie is a Native American high schooler who has no idea what to do with himself now that his beloved theatre program has been cut and there's no fall play. When his new friend Sam invites him to help out at a new haunted house to raise money to pay off the owner’s medical bills, he jumps at the chance. But something has been targeting and scaring young, Native or Native-looking girls at the crossroads where Harvest House is set to happen, and Hughie, Sam and his friends are determined to find out what's going on. Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S) is a very real issue in the Native American community and this book does a fantastic job addressing it.
The Unfinished also includes mystery and a lot of eerie happenings. Avery is out for a run when the forest in her town leads her to a very still, haunting pond that brings her nightmares. She fears that she’s unleashed something awful, and when her friend and crush goes missing, she has to figure out what that unleashed thing is. To do that, she must connect with part of her heritage that she feels removed from and learn her culture and stories from her Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) relatives who might have the key to ridding the monsters lurking in their small town.
The Things She's Seen is a ghost story that toes the line between horror and thriller, with a bit of mystery and partially written in verse. It tells the story of two Aboriginal Australian teen girls: Beth, a girl who has died and whose spirit can’t pass on because her father can still see and hear her as he investigates a small-town fire; and Isobel Catching, the only witness to that fire who will only speak in riddles. The history of colonization and horrors against Aboriginal people, especially girls, are brought to light in this moving title.
Which one of these chilling tales will you check out? Do you have any favorite Indigenous authors or stories? Let us know in the comments!
Land Acknowledgement
The City of Chicago is located on the land that is and has long been a center for Native peoples. The area is the traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe, or the Council of the Three Fires: Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other Nations consider this area their traditional homeland, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The City specifically acknowledges the contributions of Kitihawa of the Potawatomi in fostering the community that has become Chicago. We acknowledge all Native peoples who came before us and who continue to contribute to our city. We are committed to promoting Native cultural heritage.
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